«Latest  ‹Forward   News item: 191  Back›  Oldest» 

OFFICER reveals health fears for TETRA
United Kingdom Created: 18 Jul 2005
OFFICER'S RADIO SURVEY REVEALS HEALTH FEARS

BY JON DI PAOLO 10:30 - 19 May 2005

A policeman has revealed a catalogue of illnesses his colleagues claim they have suffered since they started using a controversial radio system.

Pc Guy Hubbard launched a survey of officers' health following the death of his friend, Pc Neil Dring, last year.

Pc Dring's family blamed the new Airwave radio system he used day to day for triggering the cancer that killed him.

Pc Hubbard's survey asked officers to fill in an anonymous questionnaire detailing any health problems they had developed since starting to use the handsets.

He stressed the survey was not scientifically rigorous because, although he sent out hundreds of questionnaires, he only received about 100 replies.

However, he said numerous complaints of symptoms such as high blood pressure, nosebleeds and inability to sleep properly included in the replies were cause for concern.

Officers also told him they had suffered headaches, nausea and even non-cancerous growths since the Airwave system was brought in.

Concerns have been raised that pulsed microwave radiation beamed out by the handheld sets may damage cells in the body, but Government scientists have dismissed the claims.

Pc Hubbard said: "I don't know whether Neil died as a result of using Airwave, but I'm worried. "I'd like to not have to use it, but that's not going to happen."

Neil's brother Ian Dring said some of the symptoms described by police matched those his brother had complained about before he died.

He said: "It confirms Neil was not an isolated incident and it's great cause for concern."

Pc Hubbard and other campaigners nationwide are considering mounting a legal challenge to allow officers to choose whether they use the system.

Tetra - short for Terrestrial Trunked Radio - is the name for a certain type of digital radio technology. Airwave is the Tetra-based system used by UK police.

A spokesperson for Leicestershire police said: "If Leicestershire Constabulary thought that Airwave posed a health risk to officers, the force would withdraw the equipment as soon as possible.

"The force has sought advice from the foremost experts on Tetra technology in the world and the scientific and medical evidence obtained states that Airwave meets all national, European and international health and safety standards.

"Disappointingly, despite being invited to work with the constabulary on this matter, Pc Hubbard has not shared the findings of his questionnaire with the force.

"We understand only 100 people responded and unless the questionnaire was conducted to scientific principles, and with strong control measures, the findings could be open to question.

"We would invite Pc Hubbard to share his findings with us, so that the results can be examined by experts."

Dr Grahame Blackwell, who campaigns for greater openness over mobile phones and health issues, said the findings of the unofficial survey were worrying and mirrored illnesses seen in people living near masts set up for Airwave.

He said: "What the police need to do is seriously, openly and objectively investigate this."

A spokesperson for O2 Airwave declined to comment on the survey as the company had not seen the results.

Earlier this year, the Mercury put in a Freedom of Information request which asked to reveal the locations of the Tetra masts. It was declined on the grounds of policing purposes.

«Latest  ‹Forward   News item: 191  Back›  Oldest»